The Billionaire Brat-Pack & Their European Football Clubs

In a world beset with socio-economic challenges, geopolitical instability and simmering tensions, there is a one global force that unites more countries on this planet than anything else. Our love of football runs deep, and it goes to the very heart of what brings masses of people together. Football is more than just a sport – it is a passion-fueled obsession that begins as soon as we start dribbling, sidestepping and running. The sheer loyalty displayed to the football clubs we cherish cuts to the very heart of what unites villages, towns, cities and even countries. In fact such is our love of this great game that entire nations rise up in support of their teams from the moment the first whistle blows. Football aficionados the world over are well familiar with the great clubs of Spain, Italy, England, Portugal and beyond.

In and among this mix of legendary European football teams are the club owners, who put the pieces in place for the magic to unfold. This, as we know, requires some cash.

The Power Brokers behind European Football Teams

It should be pointed out from the outset that European football is drowning in money. From the top down, and the bottom up, billions are pumped into European football. The players, the stadia and of course the merchandising are big money spinners. The English Premier League is particularly notable for the attention it draws on the international stage. The men and the women behind some of the greatest teams on the face of this planet deserve heaps of praise for the terrific work they do on a daily basis.By investing heavily in football teams, we invest in the youth programmes, social initiatives, tourism and many associated industries. Premier League star Manchester City is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As part of the ruling family, he took over Manchester City in 2008. And his estimated net worth is a staggering $31.5 billion.

Another heavyweight contender is Arsenal’s owner, Alisher Usmanov, with an estimated net worth of $14.2 billion. Born in Uzbekistan, Usmanov now lays claim to the richest English Premier League club of them all. Of course, no list of top-ranking European football clubs would be complete without mentioning Chelsea and its owner – Roman Abramovich. Chelsea remains one of the wealthiest football clubs in the world, and Abramovich has a personal fortune of $8.9 billion. Manchester United is one of the world’s most loved football teams and is 70% owned by the Glazers family and 8% part-owned by George Soros. The American tycoon is worth a cool $24 billion. On the European continent, Spanish football team Deportivo La Coruña is owned Amancio Ortega who has a personal net worth of $62.3 billion. In Scandinavia, Norwegian businessman John Fredriksen owns the football team Valerenga, and weighs in at a cool $10.5 billion net worth.

Russian Business Mogul Suleyman Kerimov Scores a Winner

Suleyman Kerimov hails from the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. Starting out his career as an accountant at the electrical giant Eltav, he later became the company’s Deputy Director General, but it was not until he joined Soyuz-Finans that he achieved tremendous financial success. Big investments in Sberban and Gazprom catapulted him to the status of one of the richest men in the world – and like so many tycoons before him, he decided to purchase a football club, FC Anzhi Makhachkala.

But for Kerimov, it was about a whole lot more than merely purchasing a football club. He wanted to use his influence and power to drive economic and social prosperity in his native Dagestan. He did this by way of establishing and supporting youth projects, infrastructure development and new training grounds. Along the way, he got top footballers to join his club – Samuel Eto and Roberto Carlos. Kerimov is proof that football-fueled passions can have a real and lasting socio-economic impact.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

William R. Feins , freelance journalist from London, UK; he received his B.A. degree in Economics and his Masters in Sociology. William has always been interested in the mechanics of business and the inspiration of original thinkers, and firmly believes that the former can’t succeed without the latter. In his spare time, he enjoys the ridiculous spectacle of watching table tennis on a big screen (preferably at a pub) and reading weighty tomes about World War II.

43 COMMENTS

This are very well pointed notes but I think the majority of people knew about the fact that football, moves ALOT of money. It’s only natural with the popularity of the sports, the amount of people involved in each of the cups/leagues of each country and it’s a world wide phenomenom.
What I think it should be pointed out was the amount of money countries lost doing the europe/world cups, some of these countries are in dire need of money even through they invested what they could and could not in those mass events.

Quite the interesting article regarding the football teams and the power-houses behind them. People like Suleyman Kerimov and Roman Abramovich are amazing. They inspire people to do their best, and show that after hard work one gets rewarded 🙂

Looks very similar to their business interests and beautiful game than football because today everyone is not only think about money once if you have played the better football heart is this that you explain more better looks interesting

Football is not a sport anymore, it is a business and a playground for rich people. This is not happening just in England, you just need to check in Spain and you are going to notice what is happening here. It is a pity…….

Très bon article je pense qu’il est vraiment intéressant d’approfondir ce sujet car il y a très peu de personnes qui prennent le temps de faire un travail sérieux dessus, en tout cas merci pour ses informations et pour votre travail. Very good article I think it’s really interesting to learn more about this because there are very few people who take the time to do some serious work on it, in any case thank you for the information and for your work

Football being the king of sports, moves a ton of money. I mean, players are being bought and sold for millions, not thousands. Although it’s a sport, it’s mainly a business that is owned by really rich people.

Not to mention the recent FIFA scandal, where they finally found out that it’s full of corruption.

Very interesting views on the matter but really what is sport if it’s just another big business in the world? I say get money out of football, start small again. Maybe it’s a fantasy but it would certainly get me more involved in the game.

Since European clubs are historically and still the most powerful worldwide, owning one can serve many business interests. For example in 2011, Qatar Investment Authority purchased the not so competitive club of the French capital PSG, as a way to “promote” the forthcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It appears to be a good investment: last season, PSG won all (4) national titles and shone in Champion’s League, being one of the eight top clubs in Europe for the third consecutive year. This way, Qatar wants to show that it can transform dirt in pure gold.